Because Intel earnings will evaporate in 2 hours if these notebooks popularity continues to rise. I love them though and I hear that over 5 million have been sold so far. I have 3 of those, one with XP, one with Linux and one with Mac (an Asus turned into a Mac). My 350 euro Asus works as well as the MacBook Air that cost me $1800. It is very small that´s true and I only use it in conferences, planes, or public places but it´s battery life beats any Mac I know. On the negative side the ethernet doesn´t work, sound only works with Bluetooth and the sleep functions that works so well in Macs doesn´t work in the Asus Hackingtosh. I also greatly enjoy the Magalhaes, the Portuguese notebook that competes with the OLPC another favorite.

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I had on my hands an Acer Aspire One, HP Mini 9 and finally a MSI Wind. This new generation of netbooks are very usefull for me my daily business. Is not the price the main reason of my purchase, it’s the weight, and dimensions, allowing me to read Google Reader, Docs, and Mail from everywhere. If Intel plans to shutdown the commercialization of Atom, Via and the new ARM chips will probably replace Atom in this new market.

I don’t think I want mini laptop as my primary computer to run Photoshop, but I have been waiting for a 2 pound laptop for travel ever since my Mitsubishi Amity was eclipsed by technology advances. I want a laptop that fits within a carry-on without needing a separate case & is able to access email, check web, Google calendar & even files w/ GSpace. If one loses a $299 unit with your personal data NOT on it, one can survive.

I use an Asus with Linux Xandros since 9 months and one with Windows XP which I bought on Ebay for 177 euro. The Linux version is faster and clutters less. Because I use it in combination with Windows Sky Drive : I have my important files always with me…

Relatively few people use their laptops for longer than an hour at a stretch, any more than they use their mobile phones for longer than an hour at a stretch. As computers get more common, the average number of minutes/use will get shorter, not longer.

If you are using your computer like this, things like form factor, boot times/wakeup times and standby battery life become more critical than the availability of raw power and screen size.